The present invention relates generally to new and novel improvements in a pet toy ball feeder. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pet toy ball feeder for use by pets which is durable and lightweight, economical to fabricate, easy to assemble and provides pets with exercise and enjoyment.
Pets, such as cats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits, hamsters and others, which spend the majority of their time indoors are becoming increasingly popular. In addition, due to the increasingly busy schedules of their owners, such pets are spending an increasing amount of time alone indoors when their owners are not present. While having healthy and happy pets is an objective of virtually every pet owner, the ability of pet owners to exercise and play with their pets is sometimes limited due to a lack of time and energy on behalf of the pet owner.
Many different devices have been developed to assist pet owners in keeping their pets happy and healthy. Such devices can be seen in numerous pet stores and catalogs. Different types of balls, bones and other such toys can be purchased by the owner to be used by their pets for exercise and enjoyment. However, pets tend to quickly lose interest in such devices and thus, the pets do not benefit from exercise and enjoyment from such devices when they are not used by the pets. In contrast, the pet toy ball feeder in accordance with the present invention periodically provides a reward in the form of pet treats or pet food to encourage pets to continue to play with the pet toy ball feeder and thus receive benefit from exercise and enjoyment from playing with the pet toy ball feeder for longer and more frequent periods of time.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is the provision of a pet toy ball feeder which is durable and lightweight and can be readily assembled.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pet toy ball feeder which periodically rewards the user with a reward in the form of pet treats or pet food to encourage pets to play with the pet toy ball feeder for longer and more frequent periods of time.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by a pet toy ball feeder which is formed from two (2) hollow semi-spherical half members, each hollow semi-spherical half member including a hook member extending inwardly from its inside wall for anchoring an elastic member, such as a rubber band, which is attached to each hook member to normally retain the two (2) hollow semi-spherical half members together in a spherical ball configuration, but permits the two (2) hollow semi-spherical half members to be pulled apart or separated to allow pet treats or pet food to be placed inside the pet toy ball feeder. In a second preferred embodiment of a pet toy ball feeder in accordance with the present invention, the two (2) hollow semi-spherical half members are joined together by snapping resilient flexible projections outwardly extending from one, or both, of the two (2) hollow semi-spherical half members into one or more corresponding grooves in the opposite of the two (2) hollow semi-spherical half members. The pet toy ball feeder also includes one or more openings which are slightly larger than the pet treats or pet food to facilitate pet treats or pet food randomly dropping through the one or more openings as the pet toy ball feeder is rolled along a surface by a pet playing with the pet toy ball feeder.